PhD defence Y.J. (Yasir) Abozaid

Brief summary on the aim of the doctoral thesis:

Fatty liver disease (FLD) and its associated complications, such as type 2 diabetes (T2D), obesity, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, impose a significant burden on global health, leading to illness and mortality. Over the past few decades, the prevalence of FLD has been on the rise, affecting more than 33% of the world's population, largely due to the increasing rates of obesity. Among individuals with FLD, the majority develop non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which stands as the most prevalent form of chronic liver disease worldwide. Although NAFLD often presents with little or no symptoms, a subset of patients can progress to advanced stages of liver disease, including end-stage liver disease and even liver cancer. Recently, an international panel of experts recommended a name change for NAFLD to metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) to reflect its broader metabolic implications beyond alcohol consumption. Furthermore, in recent development, the global community chose steatotic liver disease (NAFLD) as an overarching term to encompass the various etiologies of steatosis. However, the underlying mechanisms of obesity-related diseases and FLD and early diagnostic strategies remain poorly understood. Gaining a comprehensive understanding of the pathophysiology of FLD is crucial for advancing prevention and treatment approaches. In this thesis, I aim to provide new insights in to the molecular mechanisms of obesityrelated traits and FLD by employing various omics approaches and integrating multiple types of omics data, with a particular focus on transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics.